Signorile: NFL Must Suspend Chris Culliver for Anti-Gay Remarks

The NFL and many of its officials as well as many team owners, managers and coaches, have gone to great lengths in condemning homophobia and saying it would be fine for a player to come out as gay, that he'd be accepted and welcome. But statements like this, if they go unpunished, make all of that look like window dressing, as no player is going to even think about coming out...

...This cannot stand. The 49ers and the NFL need to take action and send a strong message. John Aravosis at Americablog points out that the 49ers suspended running back Brandon Jacobs just last month for making derogatory comments about his bosses. Are the team management saying they take it seriously when they, themselves, are insulted, but not when closeted gay players and gay fans are treated to bigoted, offensive remarks?

If there is no suspension, the message from the NFL to young people, amid continued reports of suicide by LGBT youth who experienced bullying, is that it's okay for sports players and everyone else to attack gays and demand they stay closeted and living in shame. If there are no repercussions, the NFL's words about support and acceptance of gay athletes and fans are completely empty.

Comments

He should be fired. Not suspended. Fired.

Posted by: Sportssey | Jan 31, 2013 7:46:36 PM

Reacting to comments made by these ignorant beings, with below average IQ, only feeds into their high pitched cackling. You see, in their idiotic minds they think they have somehow rattled us by our reactionary behavior. I feel, the best thing to do is to ignore these beings and smile at their pitiful mentally challenged state. Think about it, these are the same beings who think that manhood is determined by the number of children a man can sire without being a father to any of his bastards.

Posted by: Thalo | Jan 31, 2013 8:39:14 PM

This article must have been linked on some sports site. Way too many homophobic heteros posting on here.

Posted by: M.J | Jan 31, 2013 9:02:44 PM

@ MJ
It is amusing when you can so clearly tell a particular post has been linked on another site, one frequented by straight people. When they come comment here and are so proudly flippant toward homophobia, and couple that up with them saying he didn't say anything offensive and gays need to get over it is my red flag that the story has been linked elsewehre and we have lurkers posting. Pretty obvious in this case.

Heterosexuals: go make yourselves useful and get a divorce and cheat on your spouse, like you normally do please. Bye

Culliver is an ignorant bigot and his comments are offensive. However, to suspend him would only make him a martyr in the eyes of many. Just let him and his poorly phrased words twist in the wind.

Posted by: andrew | Jan 31, 2013 10:21:29 PM

Culliver is one of the many fatherless boys who play in the NFL and have been raised by single mothers. They haven't had good male role models during their formative years and so don't really know how real men think and act. Surrounded by only female role models they are insecure in their masculine identity. We know that males insecure in their own manhood are often the most homophobic because they are so insecure.

Posted by: andrew | Jan 31, 2013 11:10:41 PM

Completely agree with Michael Signoralie, and I love how we speaks out on issues regarding our community. Something needs to be done to send a loud message that homophobia won't be tolerated.
NFL, please show leadership.

Posted by: Sports Fan | Feb 1, 2013 12:19:39 AM

Had he said something about any other people, he'd be suspended or fired. But society make homophobia acceptable. Some people feel entitled to hate on gays, and only get bent out of shape when things are negatively said about them.

Posted by: curiousshek | Feb 1, 2013 12:44:35 AM

Right on Signorile!
either we have a zero tolerance policy with homophobia, like people do with racism, or we're not doing enough. Tackle homophobia now. It's 2013.

Posted by: Muse | Feb 1, 2013 1:40:13 AM

@Guest
While a locker room is normally a private space, the locker rooms of professional sports teams are regularly invaded by strangers with press passes, some of whom are obviously the "wrong" gender to be in those spaces. And it's likely that some reporters are gay. So the expectation that athletes can get undressed in a gay-free zone is not realistic.

Posted by: Rich | Feb 1, 2013 4:17:49 AM

I make no excuses for Culliver. His management needs to prepare players for dealing with the press before they say things like Culliver did.

I'm not sure what the remedies people are suggesting will accomplish. Suspending Culliver will perhaps demonstrate the sincerity of management, but to ask them to do that days before the Super Bowl is unreasonable unless they have someone else equally skilled to replace him in this game. Suspend him for part of next year.

Punishment may teach Culliver discretion, but what I really want is to change his heart and mind. That would take someone he cares about coming out to him.

Posted by: Rich | Feb 1, 2013 4:33:07 AM

I'm ashamed to wear my niner jacket here in Palm Springs , Watts, So. Carolina. or to the local dump until Culliver is suspended.

Posted by: donald tousseau | Feb 1, 2013 9:37:06 AM

I'm honestly disgusted by this mentality some americans have, sure this guy isn't in the right, but to suspend him because he doesn't agree with homosexuality? now that's the definition of descrimination, let's suspend and kill 90% of the world for that matter, seriously, our society will never progress.